| JERSEY AUSTRALIA AGM & CONFERENCE | WORDS // RICK BAYNE Tahnee and Scott Wilson with daughter Marley have been share-farming in Gippsland for nearly four years.
Breeding For Profit S
HARE farmers Tahnee and Scott Wilson are keeping things practical with their breeding program, with a strong focus on making money. About a third of their herd of 250 at Nyora is Jersey and that percentage will increase over time. They have been share-farming on the 160-hectare farm for nearly four years and visitors to the property as part of the Jersey Australia AGM tour will also see Holsteins and a handful of Ayrshires, reflecting Scott’s farming background. “When we came here, we needed more cows but we couldn’t buy Jerseys at the time so we got black and whites,” Tahnee, who is also secretary of the local Jersey club, said. “But Jerseys are definitely our major interests and we’re trying to build Jersey numbers by using sexed semen on heifers and cows. “I’m from a Jersey background so they are in my heart, but it’s also for their good points; their efficiency, their good nature, workability and ability to make grass into money based on their bodyweight. They’re easy to handle and quiet in the dairy and produce good quality milk.” The growth will be achieved by building up their own numbers. “Everyone loves to go to a special sale and buy a good cow but that’s probably not the most efficient way for us to go about it when we’re trying to build bulk numbers,” Tahnee said. “In the past we bought lines of Jerseys but now we’ve got enough cow numbers so don’t need to buy a line, we’re just working with what we’ve got to increase numbers gradually over time.” Their breeding is highly focused on type traits, particularly udders, but they also like bulls with reasonable stature and strength. The Australian Jersey Journal – March-April 2021 // 10
